Reports of the National Center for Science Education

The National Center for Science Education works to promote the teaching
of evolutionary science, in particular to defend it against creationist
attacks. NCSE Reports contain a variety of material: short news
stories and updates, mostly about court cases, legal challenges, and
other happenings around the United States education system; book reviews
and brief notes on available books; letters; and pointers to resources
such as recently published papers and web sites.

But the bulk of each issue is taken up by longer articles and features.
These cover work in evolutionary biology, geology, and other relevant
sciences, aspects of creationism and related ideas, issues in the history
and philosophy of science, and a broad range of other related topics.
The September/October 1997 issue, for example, includes one page pieces
on a national assessment of science knowledge and skills in schools,
on the "intelligent design" movement, and on the reasons students find
science unsatisfying and turn to pseudoscience. Longer pieces include
a brief history of speed of light measurements (and an examination
of slowdown claims), a report from a University of Alabama forum
on the history of creationism, an introduction to Greg Koukl (as a
representative of a newer generation of creationists), an explanation
of the misconceptions surrounding genetic "Adam" and "Eve" theories, an
account of the Plimer/Roberts case, and a letter written by one teacher
when asked to show a creationist video in class.

NCSE Reports will be a valuable resource for biology teachers and
others on the front line of the battle against creationism. And anyone
at all interested in either that conflict or the accompanying debate
should find plenty in them to chew on.